Irish Beards are Smiling

Senator Edward Kennedy, the last relic of America's 'Camelot' era, died yesterday of brain cancer.

The Boomer generation of Iranian-Americans holds the Kennedy lore in high esteem, and the fascination remains with many of us. (Although the famous Kennedy Boulevard in Tehran, apparently, is no longer per MapQuest.) My sister was obsessed with JFK Jr as much as our auntie was with John John's father. The glamour and pageantry had a strong allure, and probably won't ever be seen in the increasingly jaded realm of American politics.

Their pro-civil rights agenda was commendable. Parallels are made to this present Obama era, but I'd go farther back - to like the mid 19th century, when there was a very strong resistance to Irish and Catholics, who were seen as a threat to the "traditional" American. Reading up about them, as the passing of someone usually makes me do, one learns an interesting story about immigrants in America and the struggles new immigrants face to be accepted.